--- title: "BuildAI" slug: "buildai" updated: 2026-09-21T08:57:03Z published: 2026-09-21T08:57:03Z canonical: "totara.help/buildai" --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://totara.help/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # BuildAI **BuildAI** is an AI-powered course-authoring tool that works directly inside Totara. It converts existing organisational content, such as policies, procedures and compliance documents, into structured, interactive learning modules. Content can also be created from scratch using natural-language prompts. Modules are generated by AI, reviewed and refined by a human author, then published directly into Totara as courses. **BuildAI** works with Totara version 18 onwards. > Note: **BuildAI** is not included with Totara by default. It is a separately licensed, per-author add-on. Existing customers should speak to their Totara partner or Totara contact for pricing and enablement. ## Key terms | Term | Description | | --- | --- | | Client | A group of users with shared AI requirements, such as a department or tenancy. A site without tenants typically has a single client. All authors must belong to a client. | | Author | A user who has been set up to create modules in **BuildAI** and assigned to a client. | | Module admin | An author with rights to view all folders within their client, create courses, and download SCORM packages. | | Tenanted module admin | A module admin who also belongs to a tenancy. On the Totara site, this corresponds to the **Tenant Domain Manager** role. They can only create authors within their own tenancy, and cannot manage clients or view logs. | | Folder | The hierarchical structure **BuildAI** uses to store modules. Folders can contain modules or other folders. | | Static SCORM package | A complete, self-contained module. Once downloaded, it cannot be updated, so it should be used for certifications. | | Dynamic SCORM package | A module that can continue to be updated from within the **BuildAI** editor. It does not contain fixed content or resources, and should not be used for certifications, since it does not reset. | | Repository | The file picker that lets Totara users select **BuildAI** modules for use within a course activity. | ## Administering BuildAI Access to the **BuildAI** admin pages is restricted to Site Administrators. By default, Site Managers also hold the **local/ctxbuildai:manage** capability, which lets them create clients and authors and view logs; this default access can be turned off at a site level if required. > [!WARNING] > Note: Further restrictions and defaults, such as limiting admin-page access to administrators from a specific organisation, or changing the role automatically assigned when an author is enrolled on a published course, are set through advanced site configuration. This is typically handled by a developer or Totara partner, since these settings can carry cost or permissions implications. ### Clients Each client has its own settings, including: - Whether the client is enabled. Disabling a client also disables all of its authors - The client's name - The course category that all of the client's published courses are created in - A default theme colour for new modules - Whether module translation is enabled (this may incur a cost) - The default AI content language for the client - Whether file upload from OneDrive is enabled - Whether file upload from Google Drive is enabled - Whether module narration is enabled - Whether authors can download static SCORM packages - Whether authors can download dynamic SCORM packages - Whether the Loom screen recorder can be used when creating a module ### Authors Each author has the following settings: - Whether the author is enabled. A disabled author cannot access **BuildAI** - The client the author is assigned to - The Totara user the author account applies to - Whether the author has module admin rights ### Tenancies On sites with tenants, tenanted users can be added as authors with module admin rights (the **Tenant Domain Manager** role). Tenanted module admins can only add new authors from within their own tenancy, cannot choose a client when editing authors, and cannot view clients or logs. ## Creating a BuildAI course > Note: Creating a course in BuildAI is different to [creating a course in Totara](/totara-20/docs/create-a-course). A Totara course contains the activities and resources that learners access to complete their training. Creating a course in **BuildAI** means creating an interactive learning module directly within the Totara site. **BuildAI** is accessed from the **BuildAI** icon ( ![](https://cdn.document360.io/a007399b-031e-436b-999a-528240e16f58/Images/Documentation/image-QER1D0AM.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-01T13%3A47%3A32Z&se=2026-11-01T14%3A47%3A32Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=mNKjSxuEJzk418tege7jWx3se7mqBRv2hDhQbePu6%2Bo%3D) ) in the site menu once it has been installed on the site. ### Start a new course 1. Select the **BuildAI** icon ( ![](https://cdn.document360.io/a007399b-031e-436b-999a-528240e16f58/Images/Documentation/image-QER1D0AM.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-01T13%3A47%3A32Z&se=2026-11-01T14%3A47%3A32Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=mNKjSxuEJzk418tege7jWx3se7mqBRv2hDhQbePu6%2Bo%3D) ) from the main menu. 2. Select **Create new**. 3. Choose how to create the course: - **Transform a document** – convert an existing document into a course. - **Convert a presentation** – convert an existing presentation into a course. - **Generate using a prompt** – describe the course and let **BuildAI** generate it. - **Start from scratch** – build a course without a starting document or prompt. ![](https://cdn.document360.io/a007399b-031e-436b-999a-528240e16f58/Images/Documentation/image-WE3NYWLZ.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-01T13%3A47%3A32Z&se=2026-11-01T14%3A47%3A32Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=mNKjSxuEJzk418tege7jWx3se7mqBRv2hDhQbePu6%2Bo%3D) A new folder can also be created from this screen, to help organise courses within the author's personal folder. Supported upload formats for **Transform a document** are Word (.doc, .docx), PDF, plain text (.txt) and Rich Text Format (.rtf). **Convert a presentation** supports PowerPoint (.ppt, .pptx). **BuildAI** can also extract images from an uploaded document, and prompts the author to confirm whether these should be included in the final course. ### Answer the guided questions When generating a course from a prompt (or from an uploaded document or presentation), **BuildAI** asks a series of questions to tailor the content: 1. A description of what the course should cover. 2. How familiar the intended audience is with the topic (for example, **Beginner**, **Intermediate**, or **Advanced**). 3. A phrase describing the audience — a suggested option can be selected, or a custom phrase entered. 4. What the audience should achieve from the course — a suggested option can be selected, or a custom outcome entered. 5. The language to publish the course in. 6. The tone the course should be written in (for example, **Motivational and persuasive**). 7. The expected length of the course, in screens (for example, **5–10 screens**). Select **Generate course outline** once these have been answered. ![](https://cdn.document360.io/a007399b-031e-436b-999a-528240e16f58/Images/Documentation/Snag_c3c7fe.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-01T13%3A47%3A32Z&se=2026-11-01T14%3A47%3A32Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=mNKjSxuEJzk418tege7jWx3se7mqBRv2hDhQbePu6%2Bo%3D) ### Review and edit the outline **BuildAI** generates a course outline made up of a series of screens. Before creating the course, the outline can be reviewed and adjusted: - Edit the course title. - Edit screen names, and reorder, add, or remove screens. - Select **Regenerate outline** to have **BuildAI** produce a new outline. - Enable **Generate AI images**, if AI-generated images should be included. Anything set at this stage, including AI-generated images, can be changed later. Select **Create course** to continue; **BuildAI** then builds the course screen by screen. ![](https://cdn.document360.io/a007399b-031e-436b-999a-528240e16f58/Images/Documentation/image-LFRQ421B.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-01T13%3A47%3A32Z&se=2026-11-01T14%3A47%3A32Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=mNKjSxuEJzk418tege7jWx3se7mqBRv2hDhQbePu6%2Bo%3D) ### Edit the course content Once built, each screen can be edited, including: - The screen layout - A background or static image, where applicable - Which assets appear on the screen - Text alignment - Background colour On-screen text can be edited manually, or using the **Refine** option in the editor, which applies AI-assisted text refinement. To add an image to a screen with an empty graphic asset, select **Add an image**. Images can be: - Uploaded - Generated by AI, using a text prompt, an image style, and an aspect ratio - Added from the integrated Pexels or Giphy libraries Generated images can be replaced or edited at any time, using the **Replace image** and **Edit image** options. ![](https://cdn.document360.io/a007399b-031e-436b-999a-528240e16f58/Images/Documentation/image-1789981007964.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-01T13%3A47%3A32Z&se=2026-11-01T14%3A47%3A32Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=mNKjSxuEJzk418tege7jWx3se7mqBRv2hDhQbePu6%2Bo%3D) ### Set language and theme Selecting the **Language** icon ( ![](https://cdn.document360.io/a007399b-031e-436b-999a-528240e16f58/Images/Documentation/image-BAK3OFZN.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-01T13%3A47%3A32Z&se=2026-11-01T14%3A47%3A32Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=mNKjSxuEJzk418tege7jWx3se7mqBRv2hDhQbePu6%2Bo%3D) )allows a default language to be set, and dynamic translation to be enabled, so the course automatically adjusts to match a learner's browser language. Selecting the **Theme** icon ( ![](https://cdn.document360.io/a007399b-031e-436b-999a-528240e16f58/Images/Documentation/image-G3RDFWZV.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-01T13%3A47%3A32Z&se=2026-11-01T14%3A47%3A32Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=mNKjSxuEJzk418tege7jWx3se7mqBRv2hDhQbePu6%2Bo%3D) )allows a preset theme to be applied, or a **Brand kit** to be used to apply the organisation's own branding, including logos and other brand assets. ## Brand kit The **Brand kit** option allows you to create your own brand themes, upload your primary, secondary, and icon logo variants and access your assets library where you can view your existing assets and upload new assets. To manage your **Brand kit** theme: - Select the **Theme** icon ( ![](https://cdn.document360.io/a007399b-031e-436b-999a-528240e16f58/Images/Documentation/image-G3RDFWZV.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-01T13%3A47%3A32Z&se=2026-11-01T14%3A47%3A32Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=mNKjSxuEJzk418tege7jWx3se7mqBRv2hDhQbePu6%2Bo%3D) ) when you are creating or editing a BuildAI course and click **Brand kit**. - To create a new theme select **Create theme**. - Give your theme a name. - Select the Accent, Background and Heading colours. - Enable **Emphasise Start and Finish screens** and set the Accent, Background, Heading colours and Gradient if you want to apply different colours for Start and finish screens. - Set the Headings/labels and body font. - Enable **Display logo** to display your logo, this will display in the bottom-left corner of your course. And choose **Bounding box** if the logo is to be within a white bounding box. - Once complete click **Save changes**. ![](https://cdn.document360.io/a007399b-031e-436b-999a-528240e16f58/Images/Documentation/image-A5D37D8M.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-01T13%3A47%3A32Z&se=2026-11-01T14%3A47%3A32Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=mNKjSxuEJzk418tege7jWx3se7mqBRv2hDhQbePu6%2Bo%3D) Themes can be edited by - Select the **Theme** icon ( ![](https://cdn.document360.io/a007399b-031e-436b-999a-528240e16f58/Images/Documentation/image-G3RDFWZV.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-01T13%3A47%3A32Z&se=2026-11-01T14%3A47%3A32Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=mNKjSxuEJzk418tege7jWx3se7mqBRv2hDhQbePu6%2Bo%3D) ) when you are creating or editing a **BuildAI** course. - Click the three dots under the Workspace theme to edit and choose **Edit**. - Edit the theme as required and select **Save changes**. ![](https://cdn.document360.io/a007399b-031e-436b-999a-528240e16f58/Images/Documentation/image-MODX02BX.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-01T13%3A47%3A32Z&se=2026-11-01T14%3A47%3A32Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=mNKjSxuEJzk418tege7jWx3se7mqBRv2hDhQbePu6%2Bo%3D) ### Preview and publish Select **Preview** to review the course before publishing. To publish: 1. Select the back arrow to return to the **BuildAI** interface.![](https://cdn.document360.io/a007399b-031e-436b-999a-528240e16f58/Images/Documentation/image-E8YLX37R.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-01T13%3A47%3A32Z&se=2026-11-01T14%3A47%3A32Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=mNKjSxuEJzk418tege7jWx3se7mqBRv2hDhQbePu6%2Bo%3D) 2. Select the ![](https://cdn.document360.io/a007399b-031e-436b-999a-528240e16f58/Images/Documentation/image-NS667TDM.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-01T13%3A47%3A32Z&se=2026-11-01T14%3A47%3A32Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=mNKjSxuEJzk418tege7jWx3se7mqBRv2hDhQbePu6%2Bo%3D) on the course to open the menu options, from here you can select to **Edit**, **View**, **Move to folder** or **Delete** the course as well as publish. To publish the course select **Publish course**. ![](https://cdn.document360.io/a007399b-031e-436b-999a-528240e16f58/Images/Documentation/image-5L62A3CB.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-01T13%3A47%3A32Z&se=2026-11-01T14%3A47%3A32Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=mNKjSxuEJzk418tege7jWx3se7mqBRv2hDhQbePu6%2Bo%3D) 3. Enter a **Course short name**. 4. Select the **Course category** dropdown and select the category on your Totara site to publish your course to. 5. Select **Create**. The course is then created directly in Totara. ## Organising your BuildAI courses Modules are stored in a folder structure: - Every author has their own personal folder, which is private to them - Each client also has a shared folder, accessible to all of that client's authors - Authors can create subfolders within their own folder by selecting **Create new** within their folder and selecting **New folder in**… - Modules can be moved between folders - All modules within a folder can be published together as a single, multi-activity Totara course - Module admins can access any folder within their client, including other authors' folders The **BuildAI** dashboard shows an author the modules they have created or are working on. Available actions are shown against each module and depend on the author's settings and their location within the folder structure. See [Creating a course](https://claude.ai/chat/7baf23fb-9b0d-4899-ab06-c74faa2bfb9a#creating-a-course) above for starting a new one. ## Publishing BuildAI courses to Totara A **BuildAI** course can be published in one of the following ways: 1. As a standalone course. 2. Grouped with other BuildAI courses into a single, multi-activity course. 3. Reused across multiple existing courses. To publish a course, the author must have permission to create courses in the category configured for their client. Once a course is created, the author is automatically enrolled on it, in the role of editing teacher, unless the author is a Site Administrator or Site Manager (the default role assigned can be changed at a site level). > Note: > > - [Course completion settings](/totara-20/docs/course-completion-settings) are not configured automatically when a course is published from **BuildAI**, and need to be set up separately. > - When a single-activity course is published from **BuildAI**, the SCORM activity's grade setting defaults to **Learning objects** rather than **Highest grade**. This means a learner who completes the module is recorded as achieving 100%, regardless of their actual quiz score. Where the grade should reflect quiz performance, the activity's grading method should be changed to **Highest grade** after publishing. ## Human review and control **BuildAI** is designed to keep a human reviewer in control of published content: - All AI-generated content should be reviewed and refined before publishing - Access to Totara can be controlled so that only appropriate users are able to create or publish content - **BuildAI** works with Totara's in-built approval workflows. For example, subject-matter experts can be given rights to create content, while a separate reviewer or team retains the rights needed to publish it - AI-generated content is clearly labelled, to support audit and identification ## Translation and narration **BuildAI** supports content creation and narration in 35+ languages. Translated text, including narration, can be edited to ensure accuracy and meet localisation needs. A dynamic translation option can also be set during creation, which automatically translates content based on the learner's browser language settings when the module is viewed. Module translation and narration are enabled per client, and may carry an additional cost. ## Data and privacy **BuildAI** is a single, integrated authoring tool within Totara; no separate connection to an external AI provider or large language model is required. The subscription includes use of the underlying AI. Fair usage policies apply. Content is not used to train the underlying AI. This applies both to documents uploaded to **BuildAI** and to the content it generates. All content created using **BuildAI** remains the customer's own property. Join the [Totara Community](https://totara.community/) for more resources to help you get the most out of Totara. © Copyright 2026 Totara Learning Solutions. All rights reserved.